An asphalt factory on Covey Hill? Really?

by Pascale Bourguignon, translation : Wendy Ayotte  photo : Glenn Hodgins  (August 2021)

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On August 2nd, 150 people gathered in front of the town hall for our second large citizen assembly. City council chose to lock all doors and bar access to all. Once their meeting over, council picked one member of friends of Covey Hill to deliver news that CPTAQ closed the file due to zoning non-compliance. This represents a small victory, but not the end of our fight. There is a strong possibility that group Chenail will submit its request a second time since they already have started building their factory.

Citizens of Havelock were stunned in late June 2021 when news spread of an asphalt plant, owned by Groupe Chenail, on the Ducharme quarry. Below is a short history of the event thus far, and a list of the serious concerns raised by the factory project. More than 100 people gathered in front of the town hall on July 5th during a municipal council meeting, their concern and discontent palpable. Mayor Denis Henderson read out a press release that was short on details. Their duty to inform citizens was not addressed. Questions were asked, and few answers given. In the days that followed, citizens formed a group: Les Ami(e)s de Covey Hill.

Summary 2019-21
2019-2020 : Groupe Chenail submits the project to MRC, twice, which in turn deems it legal. However no official document is produced as it has yet to be requested by both CPTAQ and MELCC.
April 1 2021 and May 17, 2021 : Chenail submits a request to the Minister of the Environment (MELCC) to run an asphalt plant, which is accepted. The City Council is notified.
May 12, 2021 : Chenail asks the municipality of Havelock to send a resolution to CPTAQ to pursue their request. The resolution the municipality must provide to the CPTAQ is an essential component of the entire decision-making process. It is the only official document produced by the municipality.
At the end of June, an inspector notes the presence of the plant’s equipment on site, without any further intervention. Since then, in spite of the evidence of concrete slabs poured without a permit, Town Hall has not intervened.
July 5 : In response to citizen mobilization, the municipal council addresses the issue for the first time.
July 9 : the Havelock town council publishes a statement in the Gleaner declaring its opposition to the implantation of an asphalt plant on Covey Hill.
The municipality waits until July 20, 2021 to vote on a resolution in which it does not recommend the construction of the plant, and highlights, as we asked, the zoning non-compliance.

We should be concerned because :

  • Contamination of the aquifer system: leaks, runoff, water used for processing.
  • Air pollution and odours: the harm caused by the various substances used during processing.
  • Presence of fuel and propane tanks (numerous accidents related to asphalt plants are well documented).
  • Fire and explosion hazards: located in the middle of a 35 km continuous wooded area, from the 209 west to Roxham Road east, including Franklin, Havelock, Hemmingford and St Bernard de Lacolle.
  • Increased traffic: yet more heavy trucks on Covey Hill, all surrounding roads, towns, villages and the dangers that these represent to cyclists, pedestrians and drivers.
  • The negative impact on «the circuit des paysans» and agricultural activities.

Despite our desire, in good faith, to trust the municipality, their lack of consultation or communication with the community, their delayed actions and how they down played facts, raises serious questions. (they used covid to justify removing access to the municipal council.). We will soon be sharing a petition which we plan to deliver to the government. Please consider signing to oppose the plant. Citizens direct actions and protests are also in the works. Let’s stop this project that clashes so obviously with Covey Hill’s beautiful landscape and unique ecosystem.

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